With team photos out of the way, and after quite a few long days on the bike, the guys got up this morning to put in another day at the office.

"I think it's going to be a hard ride today," Ed Beamon tells me over breakfast.

"Cool," I reply. "I was thinking of sitting this one out anyway." Yesterday I had trouble sitting on the back even while they were going intentionally slow to allow the photographer to take action shots from the follow car.

So instead I stopped by the room of Glen Mitchell, Burke Swindlehurst, and Mark Walters, all returning team members from last year, to talk about team prospects for the coming season, as well as their thoughts on the new team chemistry and their personal goals.

With 11 returning riders on a team of 15, all three agreed that what worked before will work now, and might even work better, with the departure of one consistent personality problem.

"Basically you could count on him to not do what the team had planned and to ride for himself," Walters says. "But the rest of us who are returning already get along in races, and we know we travel well together. So, you add in guys like Henk [Vogels] and [Chris] Wherry and it can only get better. We know those guys. We've been racing against them for years. And we all have respect for them as riders. Plus they're good guys."

Adds Swindlehurst: “Having a guy like Henk around is amazing. He's got two Tours de France under his belt, and Vueltas [de España]. What a guy like him adds is more than just another strong rider."

The other two new additions, Jeff Louder and Justin Spinelli, are equally well respected, though less well known, because they've been racing primarily in Europe.

"They seem like really good guys," Mitchell says. “And what I do know about them is that they're strong riders."

But there’s a downside to adding four solid new riders, too. As Swindlehurst notes, "More good riders means for the first time you worry a bit about making teams.”

Many of the races the Navigators will do here in Europe have team limits of between five and eight riders. That means between 10 and seven will sit it out on any given day.

"Last year we had less riders, and the spectrum of ability levels was wider," Mitchell says. "This year there're more riders and the spectrum has become denser. The discrepancy between the worst guy on a given day and the best tends to be a lot smaller."

It induces competition within the team, but it also pushes each rider to put his maximum effort into working for the team. There simply won't be a spot in a race for a guy who fails to pull his weight or rides selfishly, especially for a team focused on achieving some good results – first here in Europe, and then later on in the States.

"We want to ride in a way that gains respect here," Walters says. "We want to make sure they take us seriously, that they know we're always in contention.And then, of course, Tour of Georgia is a big focus - and Philly. Last year at Philly, we had four guys who could have won the race. This year we have two guys who actually have."

Walters would love to score a repeat win at Philadelphia himself this year. But what’s really important for him and the other Navigators is seeing anyone in the team colors cross the line first.

"Last year at Philadelphia, watching Mark win, was the happiest moment I've ever had in cycling," Swindlehurst says. "It was stronger for me than any of my own wins. Having so many guys I know I can count on to finish well makes it that much more exciting for this year."

Nevertheless, each of the riders has at least one personal goal. Walters wants to get his feet wet on this first trip to Europe and then start seeing good results when the team crosses the pond again in late March. He is focused on the new UCI 2.3 Tour of Georgia, the entire Wachovia week, Canadian nationals (which, incidentally, is on the same course as the world championships this year), San Francisco, and then world’s. All that adds up to a big bite to chew.

But if you've ever seen Walters ride away from an entire field and stay away solo, you know that it pays for him to set his goals high.

Mitchell, whom the others have dubbed "The Mitchellator," is a classic support rider. His primary role on the team is to deliver sprinters, climbers and other strong finishers to exactly where they need to be as races come to a close. It is an Olympic-selection year, however, so he'll be pushing his high fitness level into late November to head back to New Zealand for nationals.

Swindlehurst is another support rider. There are only a handful of races that suit him best - long climbs at altitude - and many of them are not on the team calendar.

"For example, Tour of the Gila is one of my personal favorites, and we probably won't be there. Most of my personal goals are with the team."

These three spent last year's training camp in Phoenix, and while they miss the Arizona sunshine, they say there is no comparison to training in Italy – even with the cold and driving winds.

"Italy is cycling," Mitchell says. "You go out on a given day and you pass three or four other pro teams - as well as about 400 other regular people."

Adds Swindlehurst, "I wouldn't mind a little Phoenix weather right about now, though.”